Broomlee Education Centre Wildlife Garden Project, West Linton, Borders
The site
Approximately 5,000 children pass through the Broomlee Centre every year, from all over Scotland. Most come as part of a school or youth group and take part in outdoor education activities designed to build confidence and teach communication and team-building skills. Many of the young people are vulnerable in some way and their experience at Broomlee is often their only opportunity to take part in these types of outdoor education activities. The new wildlife garden will enrich the experience for the client group and will offer a new resource for the centre, which is located near West Linton in the Scottish Borders.
The project
This project will restore an old and overgrown rock garden. While the centre dates back to the Second World War, the garden area is believed to have been part of the original house at Broomlees, which was lost to fire many years ago. This garden area will be restored and then turned into a wildlife garden. It will be planted with a mixture of species which are native to the area and species which are non-native, but still of value to small animals and insects. The garden will be divided into different areas, including a herb area (which will be used in cooking), a small woodland area, a more formal area, and an area containing edible plants.
The work in each area will involve:
Weeding of beds.
Rebuilding of a series of low drystone walls.
Deciding on a planting plan for the garden.
Planting of plants and covering of area with bark to prevent weed growth.
Various other tasks.
